Guy Pearce lands Iron Man 3 role

The 'Lockout' actor is in final talks to star in the forthcoming superhero sequel - which sees Robert Downey Jr. return as inventor Tony Stark and his titular alter-ego - and would play geneticist Aldrich Killian, Variety reports.

Guy's link with the film comes just a few weeks after it emerged Sir Ben Kingsley is also lined up to appear in the movie.

The 'Hugo' actor is in final negotiations to star as a baddie, though the exact details of the character are being kept under wraps.

However, the villain is expected involved in the spread of a virus through nanobots because the film is loosely based on the 2005 'Extremis' comic book series.

News of the story arc may disappoint some fans as it had previously been speculated the next movie in the series would see the titular character take on his original arch enemy the Mandarin, a wealthy Chinese scientist and martial arts expert who backed the warlord who imprisoned Stark.

Jon Favreau - who directed the first two films in the franchise - had previously expressed an interest in exploring the character, but he has moved on from the series, with Shane Black at the helm of 'Iron Man 3'.

Shane is also co-writing the script with Drew Pearce.

Joining Guy, Ben and Robert in the movie will be returning stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson and Don Cheadle.

Production is set to begin in May, and the film has a scheduled release date of May 3 2013.